SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Grid, the global authority on resource efficient information technology and data centers, has launched a new metric to help organizations measure how their electronic equipment is managed o

PRNewswire

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Grid, the global authority on resource efficient information technology and data centers, has launched a new metric to help organizations measure how their electronic equipment is managed once it reaches end-of-current-use. The Electronics Disposal Efficiency (EDE) metric is the first universal metric launched by The Green Grid to help end-users of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) measure their success in the responsible management of outdated equipment. EDE is a simple metric that helps organizations calculate and measure their progress in improving equipment disposal processes over time.

Discarded Electronics and Electrical Equipment (EEE) entering the waste stream is known globally as e-waste or Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE). Examples of WEEE include computers, TVs, mobile devices, home entertainment products, toys and even goods such as refrigerators and stoves. The definition and monitoring of WEEE worldwide has evolved over the last decade, which has prompted The Green Grid to identify the need to combine the expertise of other organizations who define standards and requirements for e-waste management with its own members' knowledge and understanding of the e-waste management challenges facing the ICT community. The result is the creation of a metric that quantifies how well a corporate consumer of ICT EEE responsibly manages e-waste.

"The Green Grid isn't trying to redefine any domain-specific terminology in the WEEE arena," said Kathrin Winkler, EMC representative and Board Member of The Green Grid. "Our goal was to leverage the great work that has already been done by experts in the field and apply The Green Grid's organizational experience with defining and implementing metrics in order to create a measurement and management structure around it. Our hope is that the EDE metric will incent positive behavior and influence change on a global scale, and that organizations will be more aware of waste streams, ultimately helping them reduce waste in the future."

The Green Grid's EDE metric is defined by calculating the percentage, based on unit or product weight, of decommissioned IT EEE at its EOCU (end-of-current-use) or EOL (end-of-life) that is disposed of through known responsible entities. The Green Grid intends for the EDE metric to be used as a way for organizations to measure themselves and improve over time, rather than act as a score to be compared with other entities.

To help define EDE, The Green Grid tapped into its extensive knowledge of IT resource efficiency and sustainability experts, and also enlisted the help of several other organizations, including the Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative, hosted by the United Nation's academic arm, the United Nations University. The result of the collaboration is a best practice designed to help organizations identify what they are disposing of and understand where the waste streams are going.

To learn more about measuring Electronics Disposal Efficiency, you can view the full white paper here: http://www.thegreengrid.org/en/Global/Press%20Release/The%20Green%20Grid%20Press%20Releases/2013/ITRMWhitePaper03052013.

About The Green Grid

The Green Grid is a global consortium of companies, government agencies, educational institutions and individuals dedicated to advancing resource efficiency in information technology and data centers with a holistic approach, including all IT, facility and infrastructure systems. As the global authority on resource efficient information technology and data centers, The Green Grid spans the entire computing and communications ecosystem - from data centers to personal computers - and will continue to provide the global IT industry with metrics, tools and best practices to improve resource efficiency.

The Green Grid does not endorse vendor-specific products or solutions, and instead seeks to provide industry-wide recommendations on best practices, metrics and technologies that will improve overall resource efficiencies. Membership is open to organizations at the Contributor, General or Associate Member levels, and individuals at the Individual Member level.

For more information, visit www.thegreengrid.org or connect with The Green Grid on Twitter @TheGreenGrid, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Green-Grid/263092707057658 and LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2492375